Meet the Author

The FermentedlyChallenged blog has been retired since the end of October 2016. It has been a great 9 year run. Thanks to all the readers and brewery staff for all your support in the past. I'm living in the Denver metro area and working in the Cable TV industry now. Cheers and enjoy beer responsibly. Follow along on social media - @ChipperDave on Twitter and on Facebook.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Today is Papal Retirement Day. For the first time in over 600 years, a Pope has resigned while in office. Let's give Pope Benedict XVI some credit for what must be one of the toughest jobs on the planet and give him a toast today. Not just any 85 year old could do that job. Cheers! Here's what's happening around the Colorado beerosphere today Thursday, February 28th, 2013.

Metro Denver

Cannonball Creek Brewing (Golden) - There's something about beer and food trucks that just go together. Cannonball Creek just released their food truck line-up for the rest of the week: Today - Smokey J's BBQ, Friday: McDevitt Taco Supply, Saturday: Quiero Arepas, and Sunday Texarado BBQ. Their tasting room will be open Thursday through Sunday at 3:00pm.

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project (Denver) - How many pounds of Citra whole cone hops did Crooked Stave put into their new batch of HopSavant this week? Chad Yakobson added 50 pounds (at least) of Citra hops into this recipe and it's now fermenting away in their new 60 hectalitre foeder. Citra hops have a big floral + pear aroma - it's amazing. Once it's released look for more word to be posted. Also, today they are tapping Sentience aged in a single Leopold Bros American Small Batch Whiskey barrel. Their GABF Silver medal winner was aged for another 4 months in this barrel. Just one barrel was made of this so get some quick.Brewery Rickoli (Wheat Ridge) - Sales of their Rye Stout went so well that they ran out! Never fear, they are making more as we speak. Look for their Nitro Irish Dry Stout to come out very soon in early March. Tis the season to be Irish after all (or soon will be).

Kokopelli Beer Company (Westminster) - All the paperwork has been submitted to apply for City and State liquor licenses. If you have friends who live just south of 88th and West of Sheridan (Arvada) tell them to vote YES on the survey for their liquor license. Surveyors will be out and about between now and April 3rd. Hopefully soon there will be more beer being brewed in the Westminster area.

Yak & Yeti (Arvada) - Have you tried their new Toasted Coconut Porter yet? It's a beauty at 5.2% ABV and 32 IBU's. If you haven't had their Yakety Yak Don't Talk Bock either, stop in for a pint. It's 6.3% ABV and 24 IBU and it's getting raves. 9 other brews currently on tap and also a Honey Ginger Soda.

Boulder County

New Planet Beer (Boulder) - The makers of New Planet Beer teased an upcoming addition to their family of gluten-free beers today. Look for New Planet Amber Ale to be available in stores very soon. Their Amber Ale joins their existing line-up which includes: New Planet Blonde Ale, New Planet Pale Ale, and New Planet Raspberry Ale.

Oskar Blues (Longmont) - When March rolls around it marks the return of one of Oskar Blues' biggest and hoppiest beers in a can - Gubna Imperial IPA. Gubna is now available from March through May at your favorite stores. Read all about it and catch their videos about their brew in today's Press Release.

Atom Brewing Company (Erie) - If you happen to be attending this weekend's Avery Strong Ale Fest - be sure to look for folks wearing Atom Brewing shirts. They will be on hand talking about their upcoming brewery and beers. Atom Brewing hope to post some upcoming events they will be hosting this Spring that will let you get some tastes of their upcoming beers. News of that will be posted here when it comes out. Atom Brewing did announce that they halted their plans to open at the 600 Briggs Street location and are working to secure another location in the Erie area. They still hope to open up sometime before Fall 2013.

Avery Brewing (Boulder) - Fresh off the Avery newsletter: "Can't make it to the 11th Annual Boulder Strong Ale Fest?? It's all good! Avery and you can still drink together this weekend! From 3pm MST on Friday, Mar 1st to 3pm MST on Sunday, Mar 3rd, your pics will invade the AveryBrewing.com homepage! Post a photo to Instagram with hashtag #averyfest, and you'll be on their homepage! Snap a pic of you and your Avery (or any crazy craft beer coolness) and drink with Avery! Best pic wins an Avery drinking kit!" - For those of you who ARE going to Strong Ale Fest, Avery posted a list of what's being served.

Northern Colorado

Odell Brewing (Ft. Collins) - The expansion work continues over at Odell Brewing Company. Recently, they installed three new 400 barrel fermenter tanks at their brewery. Check out the time-lapse video below of how that process went down.

High Hops Brewery (Windsor) - In addition to all the great beer they have on tap today - tonight is their Open Mic Night hosted by Jordan Price starting at 5:30pm. The Gigling Greek food truck will be on hand serving up some great food as well so come hungry & thirsty!

Elevation Beer Co (Poncha Springs) - Elevation Beer Company is excited to announce it’s upcoming Spring Seasonals in it’s Black Series and Double Black Series. Elevation plans on releasing Third Base, a traditional Belgian tripel in its Black Series of specialty seasonal beers, and False Summit, a Bourbon barrel-aged Quadrupel, in it’s Double Black Series of seasonal barrel-aged beers. They will both be released in 750ml cork and caged bottles as well as draft and should be available in mid to late March across Colorado. Check out their full Press Release from this week.

Palisade Brewing Company (Palisade) - Stop in for Texas Holdem' tonight at 6:30pm. Russ Chapman and Guest Friday at 7-10pm. This Saturday, Grateful Dead PINT NIGHT! $6 Pints of beer with a PBC Logo Pint Glass for you to keep. THey will be showing festival express starting at 7pm.

Bars, Restaurants and Misc.

The Cheeky Monk (Denver) - Didn't get any Pliny the Younger yet? Tonight at 6:30pm the Cheeky Monk will be tapping their last keg at their Colfax location. Cost is $10 a glass.
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Live Music - Beer and music go great together and many Colorado breweries and watering holes offer live entertainment every day. Check out the Colorado Brewery Music Listings and find who's playing at your favorite brewery or beer bar. Updated daily.

Like us on Facebook - There's even more Colorado beer happenings and discussions on the Fermentedly Challenged Facebook Page. Find recaps, special offers, and tips that you won't find on the blog. "Like" us and get even more soon after it happens. Thanks for helping us grow to over 1400+ "Likes" in 2013!

Colorado Beer News is published daily (Monday through Friday) with craft beer stories as they break from newsletters, emails and social media sites. Stop back here often for all the latest. This news is intended for audiences of legal drinking age (21+). If you'd like to subscribe to this daily by email, sign-up here. Please, always drink responsibly and use a designated driver.

Spring has already sprung it seems as Spring seasonal beers are being announced now. Elevation Beer has announced their Spring 2013 beer releases this week with two new offerings in their Black and Double Black Series. Check out their full press release below.

[PRESS RELEASE] February 26th, 2013 Poncha Springs, Colorado - Elevation Beer Company is excited to announce it’s upcoming Spring Seasonals in it’s Black Series and Double Black Series’. Elevation plans on releasing Third Base, a traditional Belgian tripel in its Black Series of specialty seasonal beers, and False Summit, a Bourbon barrel-aged Quadrupel, in it’s Double Black Series of seasonal barrel-aged beers.

“We are super excited for these two fantastic Belgian style beers this spring,” says head brewer Christian Koch, “these two beers have been in the works for quite sometime and both are perfect fits for the warming weather of spring.”
They will both be released in 750ml cork and caged bottles as well as draft and should be available in mid to late March across Colorado.

“Third Base will come in at 9% ABV and was brewed using Belgian Candi Sugar and a traditional Belgian yeast strain, giving it great notes of pepper, clove, orange peel and spice,” Christian exclaims, “While False Summit, is a fantastic 11.1% ABV quadrupel and much more traditional then our Apis IV. We aged it in Breck Distilling Bourbon Barrels to give it nice subtle notes of vanilla, oak, and bourbon.”

Elevation plans on releasing 3 more beers this year in both the Black and Double Black Series, for a total of 8 different seasonal specialty beers brewed in 2013 by Elevation.

About Elevation

Elevation Beer Co. is an artisan microbrewery located in Poncha Springs, Colorado, just minutes from Salida, Monarch Ski Area, Arkansas River Headwaters, and over seven 14,000-foot peaks. Elevation specializes in brewing large adventurous beers for the craft beer fanatic, while trying to elevate the perception of what beer can be.

[PRESS RELEASE] LONGMONT, Colo…This March, GUBNA Imperial IPA will celebrate its 3-year anniversary as Oskar Blues’ hoppiest craft beer in a can. With a mutated overload of hops, GUBNA will be a limited seasonal release March through May 2013. GUBNA was moved from a full time offering to a three month limited-release to compliment a seasonal series featuring the cyclopean Ten FIDY Imperial Stout (October through February), and a yet to be announced third seasonal slated for June through September.

GUBNA was inbred from Oskar Blues Brewery’s hankering to confront 100+ IBU’s with a single hop to emphasize that complexity of character can arise from simple elements. This time around GUBNA (10% ABV, 100+ IBUs) cranks up the complexity of hops by piling Cascade hops on top of copious amounts of Summit hops and the backbone of German Dark Munich Malt and Rye Malt. North American 2-row barley combines with the other grains to lay the foundation for the hop onslaught to come. Post-fermentation dry hopping allows this monstrosity to gently coax the citrus rind and grapefruit aroma while providing a rye malt-induced spicy yet round middle and finishing with a brisk, clean bitterness.
“We get off on challenging ourselves and our beer drinkers with hops. This year’s GUBNA comes from that fire in the belly to up the ante of GUBNA’s motley hop character,” says head brewer Dave Chichura. For additional details check out Oskar Blues Brewery’s GUBNA VIDEO HERE.

Oskar Blues continues to build on its 52% growth in 2012 and will launch new distribution in Michigan beginning March 4th. Last year, Oskar Blues expanded distribution to new markets for the first time in four years. The markets: Chicago, Ohio, Northern Kentucky and founder Dale Katechis’ home state of Alabama each established the largest craft beer launch in territory history topped by 14,000+ case equivalents during the first week in Ohio.

GUBNA Imperial IPA is available in limited-seasonal quantities (March to May) and sold in 12oz. four-packs priced at $14.99. Oskar Blues Brewery’s GUBNA Imperial IPA is just one of an impressive line-up of boundary-busting canned beer getable in 31 states. To find out where to purchase Oskar Blues beer visit http://www.oskarblues.com/about-us/beer-locator

About Oskar Blues Brewery
Founded by Dale Katechis in 1997 as a brewpub and grill, Oskar Blues Brewery launched their craft-brewed beer canning operations in 2002 in Lyons, Colo. They were the first American craft brewery to brew and can their beer. Today there are more than 200 craft breweries canning their beers. The original crew used a hand-canning line on a tabletop machine that sealed one can at a time. Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont packaged 59,000 in 2011 and grew to 85,750 in 2012 while opening an additional brewery in Brevard, NC for 2013.
http://www.oskarblues.com
http://www.facebook.com/OskarBluesCans
http://twitter.com/oskarblues
http://www.youtube.com/oskarbluescans

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

I've always known Taster's Choice to be a coffee drink, but in this case it's also a coffee doppelbock beer. Ska Brewing and DC Brau recently collaborated on a new brew call Taster's Choice. Here is the official press release on this new concoction.

[PRESS RELEASE] DURANGO, Colo., (Feb. 27, 2013) — Craft brewers Ska Brewing and DC Brau have joined forces with Ska legends The Pietasters to create a collaboration brew called “Taster’s Choice”—a Coffee-Doppelbock—to be released March 27th at Washington D.C.’s Black Cat nightclub at a party featuring The Pietasters. Proceeds from the beer and the party will go to the Todd Eckhardt Scholarship Fund, set up to honor the memory of former Pietasters bassist and songwriter Todd Eckhardt, who passed away in 2001. The fund benefits students at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts through the Ellington Fund.

“All I can say is that there seemed to be empyrean forces driving this collaboration. It had to happen,” said Ska President and Co-founder Dave Thibodeau. “I met Brandon [Skall, DC Brau co-owner along with Jeff Hancock] at an event in D.C. during SAVOR. I loved his beers, and we both loved a lot of D.C. bands, including The Pietasters. Then it turned out the Pietasters’ drummer also works at DC Brau.” When these common threads were combined with the Craft Beer Conference’s (CBC) location in D.C. this year and Denver next year, the cosmic signposts were too obvious to ignore.
The brewers hatched a plan to make “Taster’s Choice” at DC Brau’s facility in Washington D.C., and release it during CBC at an event featuring the Pietasters. Next year, Ska and DC Brau will again join forces, this time at Ska’s Durango, Colorado location, to create another collaborative brew for release at next year’s CBC in Denver.

Also participating in the transcontinental collaboration are Durango’s Desert Sun Coffee Roasters and D.C.’s Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company, both of which donated coffee beans for the project. Country Malt Group not only donated the malt for the beer, but also gave a generous cash donation to the Scholarship Fund, and Yankee Schooner donated the printing.

Doors open at 8 p.m. for the “Taster’s Choice” official release party at the Black Cat. Ska and DC Brau will take over all of the taps, and both breweries will also have numerous canned offerings available. Tickets are available at www.blackcatdc.com.

About Ska Brewing

Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and now produces over a dozen medal-winning beers including the Pinstripe Red Ale, True Blonde Ale and Steel Toe Stout. Four Ska beers are now widely available in cans: ESB Special Ale, True Blonde, Modus Hoperandi IPA and the winter seasonal Euphoria Pale Ale. For information, music and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com. Chat us up and get the latest news at facebook.com/skabrew and twitter.com/skabrewing.

About DC Brau

DC Brau Brewing Company, founded in 2009, is located in North East Washington, D.C. Co-founders Brandon Skall and Jeff Hancock are DC locals with a passion for brewing, complemented by years of experience in beverage distribution. DC Brau’s signature brews include: The Public (Pale Ale), The Corruption (IPA), and The Citizen (Belgian style Ale), with seasonal and special brews to follow. For more information on DC Brau, visit http://www.dcbrau.com.

Today is No-Brainer Day. A No-Brainer is an activity that requires the most minimum of thought. Today you are encouraged to take a break and do some kind of activity that gives your brain a rest. Perhaps sitting back in a comfortable chair and enjoying a delicious Colorado craft brew. The only thought you'll have to use is which of the thousands of beer choices to select. Here's what's happening around the Colorado beerosphere today Wednesday, February 27th, 2013.

Metro Denver

Black Shirt Brewing (Denver) - The brewers over at BSB want you to know that they were up early and brewing up some of your favorite Red saison and carbonating more of their Imperial Red Rye IPA. Today they will open up at 5:00pm and have the Texorado BBQ parked outside for your food needs. Have a Red Ale and some brisket and wings. It's a no-brainer!

Kokopelli Beer Company (Westminster) - Yesterday, owner Christine Wares signed on the dotted line on their new lease. Their application for licensing to the TTB was sent in yesterday as well. Next up is talking with the City of Westminster today. Progress is being made! Look for an opening sometime this summer if all goes well. Follow their progress on Facebook.Rock Bottom Brewery (Denver) - Join Rock Bottom this Thursday, February 28th for the annual tapping of FIRE CHIEF ALE. Their day is going to be full of great events to kick off this fun promotion! Starting at 11 am – 1 pm Denver Fire Fighters serving lunch & Colorado Fire Fighter Calendars available for purchase and signing! Then at 5:30 pm take a ride to the sky in Denver Fire’s “bucket” truck. Hop in the bucket and go up seven stories high. Then at 6 pm they'll tap FIRE CHIEF ALE. They’ll even serve a complimentary pint of Fire Chief Ale (to those 21 & over) until 6:30 pm.

Castle Rock Homebrew Supply (Castle Rock) - Announcing the opening of Castle Rock's newest homebrew store - Castle Rock Homebrew Supply. They are located at 1043 Park Street in Castle Rock. Visit them on the web at www.castlerockhomebrew.com or on Facebook.

Hall Brewing Company (Parker) - Tried a Hall beer yet? Join them tonight at Old Chicago (Arapahoe Crossings) for a pint of their Farmhouse Red. They'll also be tapping a few of their other beers and will have a bunch of giveaways to boot. The tastings start at 6:00pm until their beer runs out.

Prost Brewing (Denver) - Prost is running a contest to name their four big fermenters. Three of them are 70 barrel size and one is 80 barrel size. Send you fermenter names to kevin@prostbrewing.com or bring them into the brewery. The Winner will win a growler a month for one year! Hurry, contest ends soon.

River North Brewery (Denver) - Canned beer is in the future for River North. The TTB just approved two new beer can label designs for their River North Ale (red hoppy ale) and for River North White Ale. Look for these cans to be coming to Denver-area store shelves later this year.

Elk Mountain Brewing (Parker) - Today if Firkin Wednesday at Elk Mountain. Stop in and try one of their Coffee Brown Ale and some of Nola's New Orlean's cuisine for dinner tonight.

The Very Nice Brewing Company (Nederland) - Back in November, the brewery ordered a 3.5 barrel brewing system and Very Nice Brewing reports that system has now arrived. This will go a long way to alleviate some of the shortages of beer they've had since their grand opening. Also, a reminder about the upcoming Frozen Dead Guys Days (March 8-10, 2013). In anticipation of that event, they will not be able to offer growler fills this weekend (March 1st-3rd) so that they can ensure as much beer as possible to help people celebrate the old man occupying the shed in Ned. Tap room will of course be open as usual, just no growler fills!

Left Hand Brewing (Longmont) - Today in the tap room they are releasing Ambidextrous Step 3 - it's an imperial herb ale made with ginger, but you can call it the GREAT Juju.

Northern Colorado

Echo Brewing Company (Frederick) - Tomorrow, February 28th, is BBQ night at Echo Brewing. They will have Shuffler Brothers BBQ on site from 5pm to 8pm serving up some tasty BBQ. Stay and listen to live music from Joel Kachel at 7pm. Follow Echo Brewing on Facebook for details on their upcoming St. Patrick's Day event and an event for Colorado Craft Beer Week (March 18-24).

New Belgium (Ft. Collins) - Back for its 2nd year, Dig Pale Ale is now available. [Press Release] For New Belgium Brewing, the unearthing of Dig Pale Ale signifies that warmer weather is just around the corner. New Belgium’s spring seasonal, Dig, offers a hearty list of hops, measured crispness and unpretentious appeal. Dig begins with Sorachi Ace hops, which provides a zingy lemon aroma, followed by Nelson Sauvin hops with bursts of passion fruit, mango and peach. Also present in this pale ale are Cascade and Centennial hops. Dig is available in most New Belgium markets through April and ABV is 5.6 percent. “Dig brings together flavors that awaken the senses as we prepare for all things spring,” said New Belgium Assistant Brewmaster Grady Hull. “In addition, Dig is a nod to our farming friends who work hard to deliver the ingredients we use and appreciate every day.”

Grimm Brothers Brewhouse (Loveland) - It's one of their biggest beers yet. Later this week, Grimm Brothers will debut "The 13th Door" - a German Barley Wine. This brew is a big malt focused beer that features a strong alcohol warmth and sweet smooth malty flavors. The malty aroma is balanced by a pleasant bouquet of noble German hops. The 13th Door weighs in at 12% ABV and 90 IBUs so watch out! Look for it on tap starting as early as tomorrow February 28th. Sorry, this won't be bottled - tap only.

The Mayor of Old Town (Ft. Collins) - Did you see Churchill play on Jimmy Kimmel last night? 99.9 The Point, The Mayor and Avery Brewing welcome Churchill for a free live acoustic show tomorrow, February 28th around 5:00pm at The Mayor of Old Town! All Avery beers will be on special for $3.00. Here's a video of their performance last night.

Black Bottle Brewery (Ft. Collins) - We all knew when Black Bottle opened late last year that they were going to brew up some beers that were different. Coming this next Friday, March 8th is the release of their Sex Panther - a Quadricorn IPA that weighs in at a HUGE 21.5% ABV! It also has reportedly 1,000,000 IBUs (not really, but it's dang hoppy). Bring your designated drivers for this one!

Verboten Brewing (Loveland) - Today at 3pm Verboten will be tapping their Blueberry Wheat. They had a naming contest for this beer. The top two choices were "I'm Your Huckelberry" or "Blue Steel". Which name won? Stop in and find out!

City Star Brewing (Berthoud) - It's TRIVIA night at the brewery tonight from 7:30pm to 9:00pm. They'll stay open til 10pm. Get your team together. Winners get $20 in beer! Get your geek on.

Funkwerks (Ft. Collins) - Time once again for their featured keg of the week! This time they're tapping Green Tea Saison. Stop in for a taste while the keg lasts!

Southern Front Range

Trinity Brewing (Colorado Springs) - Today Trinity is brewing up their Wee Banshee, an Irish Red aged on heather tips. Get ready to try some of this for St. Patrick's Day!

Bars, Restaurants and Misc.

Colorado Craft Beer Week (March 18-24) - Did you know that the official beer of Colorado Craft Beer Week is being made by a collaborative effort with 7 female brewers from around Colorado? The beer will be a Belgian Pale Ale and will be a tap-only brew available during March 18-24th. Brewers include: Bess Dougherty of Wynkoop, Natalie Lesko of Funkwerks, Sydney Skilken from Denver’s TRVE Brewing, Linsey Cornish of Odell Brewing, Reva Golden from Twisted Pine, Ashleigh Carter of Prost Brewing, and Melissa Antone and Sara Ferber from Avery Brewing.

Upcoming Brewery Openings (Colorado) - According to the latest records, there are 5 breweries slated to open in Colorado in March 2013 (pending final approvals). These are:
- BREW Pub & Kitchen - Durango, CO.
- The Brew on Broadway (The BoB) - Denver, CO.
- Lost Highway Brewing - Denver, CO. (a Cheeky Monk spin-off)
- Beer By Design Brewery - Northglenn, CO.
Also, coming up in April, look for Colorado+ Liquid Art Works to open in Wheat Ridge, CO. Check out all of the upcoming Colorado breweries in the Breweries in Development page.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema (Littleton) - This beer-tapping movie house just announce their bottle and can beer selection! To compliment their 32 Colorado taps they've added an equally large selection of beers from some of your favorite breweries around the nation and abroad. Read their blog post for the full list.

Live Music - Beer and music go great together and many Colorado breweries and watering holes offer live entertainment every day. Check out the Colorado Brewery Music Listings and find who's playing at your favorite brewery or beer bar. Updated daily.

Like us on Facebook - There's even more Colorado beer happenings and discussions on the Fermentedly Challenged Facebook Page. Find recaps, special offers, and tips that you won't find on the blog. "Like" us and get even more soon after it happens. Thanks for helping us grow to over 1400+ "Likes" in 2013!

Colorado Beer News is published daily (Monday through Friday) with craft beer stories as they break from newsletters, emails and social media sites. Stop back here often for all the latest. This news is intended for audiences of legal drinking age (21+). If you'd like to subscribe to this daily by email, sign-up here. Please, always drink responsibly and use a designated driver.

Like a little music to go with that taproom beer? While craft beer may be the universal social lubricant, local live music is the key to the soul. Here's a line-up of local and regional musicians and groups who are playing at a local brewery taproom or craft beer bar near you here in Colorado for February 27 through March 5, 2013.

Get a complete music listing for the next two months for all local breweries and beer bars and more at the Colorado Brewery Music Listings page. More bookings are being added daily!

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Today is For Pete's Sake Day. You know the phrase. You've probably said it yourself. But have you ever wondered who the heck is Pete? And why are we doing something for his sake? Apparently the name Pete was used in place of our Lord's name when you wanted to curse back in medieval times so you could avoid using the Lord's name in vain. Some say the name Mike was originally used before Pete. Tip a pint back for Pete's sake today. Here's what's happening around the Colorado beerosphere today Tuesday, February 26th, 2013.

Metro Denver

Hops & Pie (Denver) - This Friday, March 1st is Firkin 1st Friday at Hops & Pie. March's firkin will be "Just the Tip" - Wynkoop's Belgorado Belgian IPA "Dry-Spruced" with locally picked Spruce Tips. It's built with a Belgian-style malted barley from Colorado Malting Company in Alamosa, CO and whole-leaf hops from Misty Mountain Hop Farm in Olathe, CO. These home-state ingredients are blended and then fermented with a Belgian yeast. Once in the firkin, the hand-picked Spruce tips are added to give the IPA an added layer of complexity and forestry. Stop in to try a pint this Friday!

Copper Kettle Brewing (Denver) - Wed. February 27th's firkin will be a Japanese Pale Ale made w/sushi rice. March holds several special beer releases at Copper Kettle. Starting on Sat. March 2nd at 12pm, they're releasing a Barrel Aged Old Ale. Then, on Sat. March 9th it's the return of their popular Czech Pilsner. On Friday, March 15th from 3pm - 10pm it's a Pre St. Patty's Day Party with the return of their Dry Irish Stout on Nitro! Finally, on Saturday, March 23rd at 12pm stop in for a pint of Rye IPA. Food truck featured on weekends. Plus - save the dates - Thursday, April 18th through April 21st - Copper Kettle is hosting their 2 Year Anniversary! World of Beer (Cherry Creek) - The rumors are true! World of Beer is opening for business in the Cherry Creek area of Denver in mid-March at 660 South Colorado Boulevard. They are currently hiring for all types of positions. They are known for having 500 different beers available - many on tap and lots more in bottles! Stay tuned for word on their official opening day. For more info on this popular chain of beer/music hot spots visit: wobusa.com/Locations/CherryCreek.aspx.

Renegade Brewing and Wit's End Brewing (Denver) - The first Renegade/Wit's End collaboration is ready to be released! Judge Whoppner is a collaboration brew. One day when Brian and Scott were enjoying a beer together they had a brilliant idea. They decided that they would join forces to brew a Whopper Ale (malted milk ball), first at Renegade and a second round at Wit's End. It's time to release the first creation of this collaboration: Judge Whoppner! Have a Whopper Ale with Brian and Scott this Wednesday, February 27th at 6:30pm at Renegade Brewing - 925 W. 9th Avenue in Denver, CO.

Arvada Beer Company (Arvada) - The Floyds let it be known on the Colorado Craft Beer Show that they are currently working on getting label approval and are planning to begin canning two of their most popular beers later this year. They plan to put their Goldline IPA and Watertower Wheat into cans perhaps hitting shelves in the next few months.

Odd13 Brewing (Lafayette) - Late last week, Odd13 Brewing got final approval from the city of Lafayette for their new brewery. They've ordered equipment and are now seeking approvals from the TTB (Feds). They hope to open their brewery sometime in July of this year.

Northern Colorado

The Tavern at St. Michael's Square (Greeley) - Left Hand Brewing is doing a tap takeover today at The Tavern in Greeley. Try one of several special brews on tap from Left Hand. The takeover starts promptly at 4:00pm.

Pateros Creek Brewing (Ft. Collins) - Have you tried a PAPA yet? It's their new Pilsner American Pale Ale that tapped over the weekend. It has a pilsner base but brewed like a pale ale and fermented with ale yeast.

Patrick's Irish Pub (Greeley) - Have you gotten your beer passport filled in yet? Drink your way around the world, collect passport stamps and win awesome prizes. Still time left to start a passport for $5 (get your 10th beer free). Complete the tour and they'll give you a personalized glass permanently kept at the pub for you to use. Around the World in 80 Flavs!

City Star Brewing (Berthoud) - For those who haven't tried it yet, stop in and try their new Widow Maker - a sweet imperial oatmeal stout. Fermentedly Challenged tried it last Saturday and gives it a big thumbs up! Tapping soon - Vanilla Bandit, Cabernet Barrel-Aged Raspberry Bandit, and a Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bandit Brown. Don't forget - Potluck Dinner tonight from 6pm - 8pm! Bring a dish to share or buy a beer for those who did. Live music 2-3 times a week (Fridays & Saturdays and some others).

Southern Front Range

Trinity Brewing (Colorado Springs) - In the long string of Pliny the Younger tappings in Colorado this month, Trinity Brewing has acquired an allotment of the highly prized brew from Russian River and will be tapping it on Monday, March 4th. Ticket sales start at 6pm that day and the tapping happens at 7pm. One of your last chances to get some in Colorado for a while.

The Mayor of Old Town (Ft. Collins) - Who's got the BEST selection of double IPA's in the Country? They Mayor that's who! Don't believe it? Check out their beer selections at http://themayorofoldtown.com/beer/.

New Belgium (Ft. Collins) - Another draft-only Lips of Faith brew will soon be tapped in the 2nd quarter of 2013. New Belgium just got keg label approval for their Lips of Faith Pluot - an ale brewed with Pluot juice (a hybrid of the apricot and plum). It's a big beer weighing at at 10% ABV. In the short term, New Belgium will release Rampant Imperial IPA in early March.

Mountains and West

Crazy Mountain Brewery (Edwards) - Crazy Mountain Brewery is partnering with Shaw Regional Cancer Center to brew a pink colored beer in honor of their second annual Pink Vail fundraiser: a one-day one-mountain event to raise awareness and funds in support of their new survivorship program, "Spirit of Survival". Hundreds of pink-clad skiers and snowboarders will receive pledges, or sponsorships, to ski Vail Mountain on Saturday, March 9th in celebration or in memory of a loved one who had cancer. After a day of enjoying Vail's terrain (and hopefully fresh powder), Pink Vail participants will do a guided "Celebration Ski Down" from Eagles Nest to the Lionshead Village base area. At the bottom, adults will receive a complimentary pint of Crazy Mountain's "Pink Vail Fruit Ale", a wheat beer brewed with raspberries and pomegranates. This beer will be very pink in color and will taste like summer. The Pink Vail Fruit Ale tapping party will be at Crazy Mountain on Thursday, February 28th from 5-10pm. Be the first to taste this pomegranate raspberry wheat beer and support Pink Vail. The tapping party will also feature live bluegrass music by local favorite, Hardscrabble. For more information on the Pink Vail Fruit Ale, please call 970-926-3009. For more information on the Pink Vail ski day, visit www.PinkVail.com.

Eddyline Brewing (Buena Vista) - River Runners, a Colorado whitewater rafting company on the Arkansas River, announced that a local beer has been named after the long-time river outfitter – Eddyline Brewery’s River Runners Pale Ale – and will be distributed throughout Colorado in April, 2013. The River Runners Pale Ale, which has been crafted by Eddyline Brewery in Buena Vista, CO since May 2009, captured the International Style Pale Ale Gold Medal at the 2012 Great American Beer Festival in Denver, CO. The River Runners Pale Ale will be available in six packs of 16 oz. cans at liquor stores across Colorado starting this spring. Eddyline Brewery and Tap Room in Buena Vista, Colorado offers a wood-fired menu and is capable of producing more than 5000 barrels of beer per year. The facility is equipped with a four-head automatic canning line capable of producing 32 cans per minute.

Bars, Restaurants and Misc.

Colorado Craft Beer Week (March 18-24) - The event list is starting to build for Colorado Craft Beer Week. March 18th start it off at Falling Rock Tap House (6pm) for a Colorado brewery tap takeover (80 CO brews on tap). On March 19th 4-7pm at Boulder Beer Company it's "Out with the Stout and In with the Blue" - a special tapping of their outgoing Obovoid Stout and incoming Kinda Blue. See the entire list of events at: coloradocraftbeerweek.com.

American Homebrewers Association (AHA) - If you haven't heard - membership has it's privileges. Members (with their membership card) can get $1 Off pints at all times at Aspen Brewing Company. Over in Ft. Collins, you can get $1 off Growler Fills and your first beer + 15% off merchandise. Also, get $1 off your first pint at Gravity Brewing in Louisville. And, get 10% off all Food & Drink at West Flanders Brewing Company in Boulder. Don't homebrew yet? Start today!
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Live Music - Beer and music go great together and many Colorado breweries and watering holes offer live entertainment every day. Check out the Colorado Brewery Music Listings and find who's playing at your favorite brewery or beer bar. Updated daily.

Like us on Facebook - There's even more Colorado beer happenings and discussions on the Fermentedly Challenged Facebook Page. Find recaps, special offers, and tips that you won't find on the blog. "Like" us and get even more soon after it happens. Thanks for helping us grow to over 1400+ "Likes" in 2013!

Colorado Beer News is published daily (Monday through Friday) with craft beer stories as they break from newsletters, emails and social media sites. Stop back here often for all the latest. This news is intended for audiences of legal drinking age (21+). If you'd like to subscribe to this daily by email, sign-up here. Please, always drink responsibly and use a designated driver.

You've heard of green beer, but have you heard of pink beer? The folks at Crazy Mountain have come up with a pink beer made with raspberries and pomegranates to help fight cancer. Here's the press release to tell you all about their new Pink Vail Fruit Ale.

CRAZY MOUNTAIN BREWS PINK BEER FOR PINK VAIL 2013

Special pink beer to support the world's largest ski day to conquer cancer

[PRESS RELEASE] EDWARDS, Colo. - February 25th, 2013 - Crazy Mountain Brewery is partnering with Shaw Regional Cancer Center to brew a pink colored beer in honor of their second annual Pink Vail fundraiser: a one-day one-mountain event to raise awareness and funds in support of their new survivorship program, "Spirit of Survival". Hundreds of pink-clad skiers and snowboarders will receive pledges, or sponsorships, to ski Vail Mountain on Saturday, March 9th in celebration or in memory of a loved one who had cancer. After a day of enjoying Vail's terrain (and hopefully fresh powder), Pink Vail participants will do a guided "Celebration Ski Down" from Eagles Nest to the Lionshead Village base area.

At the bottom, adults will receive a complimentary pint of Crazy Mountain's "Pink Vail Fruit Ale", a wheat beer brewed with raspberries and pomegranates. This beer will be very pink in color and will taste like summer.
The Pink Vail Fruit Ale tapping party will be at Crazy Mountain on Thursday, February 28th from 5-10pm. Be the first to taste this pomegranate raspberry wheat beer and support Pink Vail. The tapping party will also feature live bluegrass music by local favorite, Hardscrabble. For more information on the Pink Vail Fruit Ale, please call 970-926-3009. For more information on the Pink Vail ski day, visit www.PinkVail.com.

The Crazy Mountain team decided to use raspberries and pomegranates because they are packed with antioxidants and vitamin C. Beer, in general, features a variety of health benefits that are not commonly known to most people:

- Contains a surprising number of vitamins and antioxidants that can help prevent heart disease and even rebuild muscle.
- Has one of the highest energy contents of any food or drink (as long as you only have 1 or 2).
- When you are sweating in the sun or just ran a race, a beer may provide better hydration than water alone.
- Dark beer has a good iron content, which is an essential mineral to the body.
- Beer has high levels of silicon, which is linked to bone health. Pale Ales are richest in silicon.
- A beer or two a day can help raise levels of HDL ("the good cholesterol" that keeps arteries from clogging).
- Moderate beer drinking reduces the risk of heart attacks and dying from cardiovascular disease by 25 to 40%.
- Drinking one beer a day helps reduce the risk of developing kidney stones by 40% in men.
- Marinating a steak in beer for 1 hour eliminates almost 70% of the carcinogens produced when the meat is pan-fried.
- Beer and wine contain about the same levels of antioxidants, but the antioxidants are different because the flavonoids found in hops and grapes are different.
- Beer drinkers have 30% higher levels of vitamin B6 in their blood than non-beer drinkers.
- Moderate amounts of beer help prevent blood clots that block blood flow to the heart, neck and brain - the clots that cause stroke.

Note – Crazy Mountain Brewery reminds readers that health benefits of beer are based on moderate consumption meaning no more than one drink per day for women and two per day for men. Binge drinking has serious health impacts so please drink responsibly.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Today is Snow Moon Day. The full moon in February is known as the Snow Moon and how timely is that? The Colorado front range just got a boat load of snow over the weekend with more on the way tomorrow. With the sun out today - take advantage and stock up with your favorite craft beers before the next storm hits! Here's what's happening around the Colorado beerosphere today Monday, February 25th, 2013.

Metro Denver

Brewery Rickoli (Wheat Ridge) - Exploring hops is part of the plan at Brewery Rickoli. In the evolution of their Pale Ale Series, Brewery Rickoli is exploring 4 new hop varieties. These are in the infancy of commercial production. Some of which exhibit new bold flavors and aromas. Come experience the flavor difference that hops can provide to an otherwise normal Pale Ale.

Cedar Creek Pub (Aurora) - Coming up this Friday, March 1st at 3pm - Hall Brewing tapping one of their firkins at Cedar Creek Pub. Then on Monday, March 4th, Strange Brewing from Denver will be taking over their taps for the whole week! Stop in and check out their specials at 2100 North Ursula Street in Aurora, CO. Former Future Brewing Co (Denver) - Well ahead of their planned grand opening, Former Future Brewing Company is planning to host their 1st ever Tasting Event to be hosted at The Presidential Suite at the Oxford Hotel in Denver, CO on Saturday April 13th. They will be setting up a way to obtain FREE tickets online via Brown Paper Tickets. Because the date is over a month away, they aren't going to be opening up tickets quite yet. The opening date and time to get tickets will be announced well in advance, however. Keep in mind this first event will be limited to 30 tickets, so check your calendars, and keep watching their Facebook page.

Boulder County

Crystal Springs Brewing (Boulder) - Demand for Crystal Springs beers are going strong. They ran out of their Stage House 1899 brew in stores and will have more fermenting now. This Spring, Crystal Springs is bringing back their Angel Wheat, but in a slightly new version. Also, look for their Tic Wit to come back as well. For their upcoming 3rd anniversary on May 13th, they will be brewing up a special IPA that will be named after the brewer's father. In addition, they plan to do another collaboration beer with Fate Brewing once Fate has their brewhouse up and operating. Stay tuned for news on where they plan to open a tasting room sometime in the not too distant future.

Northern Colorado

New Belgium (Ft. Collins) - A new series of hoppy brews are coming your way this year from New Belgium. First up in the "Hop Kitchen" series of bombers is their "Hoppy Bock Lager" - debuting this week. Read all about it in their Press Release issued today.

Grimm Brothers Brewhouse (Loveland) - Tonight is Tacos and Trivia night at Grimm Brothers. Geeks Who Drink will start up the trivia action at 7:00pm. Sign up your team for a chance at some fun prizes. Also, the Chaulkboard Gourmet Express will be at the taproom starting at 6:00pm.

Loveland Aleworks (Loveland) - Only a handful of spots left for Thursdays Loveland Aleworks Beer Dinner at The Wapiti Colorado Pub. 5 courses for $38 per person. Sign up at (970-635-1985. Dinner starts at 5:30pm with the first brew.

Southern Front Range

Rocky Mountain Brewery (Colorado Springs) - Nerd Night Mondays are back! Nerds are once more in the commanders chair, from 6-9pm on Monday Nights. Bring in your group for some table top gaming (Risk, D&D, Apples to Apples, Cribbage, Warhammer, etc) and receive 10% off your whole groups tab IN ADDITION TO pitchers at growler price! Prefer to go it solo? That's cool too, just bring in your laptop because PC gamers receive buy one get one free 1/2 pints!

Mountains and West

Eddyline Brewing Company (Buena Vista) - Tonight at 7pm, both Eddyline locations in Buena Vista will be closing for the evening in order to give their employees a night off. Don't worry though, they'll be back open tomorrow once again. You still have time to stop in and get a pizza and a pint for $11 tonight.

Crazy Mountain Brewing (Edwards) - Crazy Mountain is releasing a pink colored beer this Thursday in celebration of Pink Vail (www.PinkVail.com). This raspberry pomegranate ale will be very refreshing and is packed with antioxidants and vitamin C. Tapping Party is Thurs from 5-10pm with live music by Hardscrabble.
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Live Music - Beer and music go great together and many Colorado breweries and watering holes offer live entertainment every day. Check out the Colorado Brewery Music Listings and find who's playing at your favorite brewery or beer bar. Updated daily.

Like us on Facebook - There's even more Colorado beer happenings and discussions on the Fermentedly Challenged Facebook Page. Find recaps, special offers, and tips that you won't find on the blog. "Like" us and get even more soon after it happens. Thanks for helping us grow to over 1400+ "Likes" in 2013!

Colorado Beer News is published daily (Monday through Friday) with craft beer stories as they break from newsletters, emails and social media sites. Stop back here often for all the latest. This news is intended for audiences of legal drinking age (21+). If you'd like to subscribe to this daily by email, sign-up here. Please, always drink responsibly and use a designated driver.

New Belgium is prepping to release a series of hoppy beers in their newly created "Hop Kitchen" series. The first of which is due out this week. Read their press release below on what you can expect to find on store shelves soon.

[PRESS RELEASE] Ft. Collins, Colo., February 25, 2013 – New Belgium Brewing, the third-largest craft brewer in the U.S., is launching a new series of beers called Hop Kitchen. In 2013, four hoppy brews will be released under the new line in 22-ounce bottles and on draft in select markets.

“Hop Kitchen allows us to continue exploring hop varieties from around the world,” said New Belgium Brewer Grady Hull. “We will rotate hop-inspired selections to complement the Belgian and wood-inspired beers in our Lips of Faith series.”

The first release under the Hop Kitchen banner will be Hoppy Bock Lager, which will come out in late February. This beer is a medium-bodied German-style lager brewed with rye and Hallertauer, Perle and Fuggle hops. Offering a slightly sweet malt character, Hoppy Bock is 6.9 percent ABV.
Later in the year, watch for French Aramis IPA, Fresh Hop IPA using salmon-safe certified hops farmed in Oregon, and Rewind IPA featuring hops that were popular in the 1980′s and 1990′s. More specific details will be available on the series as the selections become available.

To find New Belgium beers in your area, you can use the New Belgium Libation Location tool: http://www.newbelgium.com/beer.aspx. Pricing varies by location. You can also follow New Belgium on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/newbelgium and Twitter @NewBelgium.

ABOUT NEW BELGIUM BREWING
New Belgium Brewing, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, is recognized as one of Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work and one of the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Businesses. The 100% employee owned brewery is a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business as designated by the League of American Bicyclists, and one of World Blu’s most democratic U.S. businesses. In addition to Fat Tire, New Belgium brews nine year round beers; Ranger IPA, Rampant Imperial IPA, Shift Pale Lager, Sunshine Wheat, 1554 Black Ale, Blue Paddle Pilsener, Belgo IPA, Abbey Belgian Ale and Trippel. Learn more at www.newbelgium.com.

Friday, February 22, 2013

If you love beer and wish to explore the history of beer in the Boulder area, you should check out the upcoming exhibit at the Boulder History Museum. Here is a press release explaining their upcoming exhibit.

From prohibition to today's craft brewing phenomenon, Boulder has a long beer history

[PRESS RELEASE] Boulder, CO, February 20, 2013— On March 1st the Boulder History Museum opens their new exhibit, BEER! Boulder’s History on Tap. In the past few years Boulder County has become an important center of craft brewing. At the close of 2012, Boulder County had 15 breweries and 8 brew pubs with more scheduled to open in 2013. However, Boulder has not always been a beer mecca. In 1967, after 60 years of being a ‘dry’ community, voters approved the sale of ‘intoxicating beverages’. BEER! Boulder’s History on Tap highlights the evolution of today’s brewing phenomenon. The Museum is hosting a Sneak Peek Reception on Thursday, February 28 at 5:30. The reception costs $10 and the public is invited.

The exhibit opens to the general public on March 1st. Regular hours are: T- F: 10 -5, Sat. and Sun.: noon- 4. Museum admission is $6 adults, $4 seniors and $3 students. The Museum is located at 1206 Euclid Ave.
Boulder’s love affair with beer started in the 1800s and lasted through decades of prohibition; emerging as a center of brewing excellence. As Nancy Geyer, Boulder History Museum CEO said, "What a fun and fascinating exhibit this is about Beer and Boulder. I never imagined that Beer would have such an interesting history or that Boulder would emerged as such a brewing mecca. As Ben Franklin said, 'Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy'."

Exhibits sections explore: prohibition, temperance, introduction of 3.2 beer, home brewing and the current craft brewing phenomenon. Featured artifacts include: historic beer bottles from Boulder City Brewing Company and Crystal Springs Brewery ca. 1880-1910, Crystal Springs Brewery Corner Sign ca. 1900, the original 1979 Mash Tun of Boulder Beer and many other artifacts.

For more information, contact Susan Linde, Marketing Director or Julie Schumaker, Curator of Exhibits, at the Boulder History Museum, 303-449-3464 or slinde@boulderhistory.org OR jschumaker@boulderhistory.org

Today is National Margarita Day. It's a day Jimmy Buffet would love to celebrate. Margarita's are fine, but craft beer is even better! You could celebrate with both, but if you do - get a designated driver, m'kay? It's also George Washington's 281st birthday, so knock one back for him. Here's what's happening around the Colorado beerosphere today Friday, February 22nd, 2013.

Metro Denver

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project (Denver) - A few weeks ago Crooked Stave received 4 large oak foeders with an individual capacity of ~1600 gallons, which brings their total to 8 oak foeders in the Barrel Cellar. Additionally, they acquired 38 Whiskey barrels at the end of 2012 from Leopold Bros Distillery. Last year Crooked Stave produced ~383 barrels of beer, and sold 183 of those barrels. In 2013 they will be on track to produce 3,000 barrels and sell around 2,000 barrels. Crooked Stave is still running their taproom and production at the Barrel Cellar in Northwest Denver. They are currently rotating 4 different barrel aged wild beers and should have six on tap within a few weeks.

Black Shirt Brewing (Denver) - Black Shirt is open tonight from 5pm to 9pm. They'll have Texorado BBQ on site serving up some great food. They're serving their last keg of Red Porter tonight and will have these other brews available: Pale Red, BSB Red, Red Saison, Red IPA (Chinook), and Sour Mash Red Saison.Arvada Beer Company (Arvada) - Today ABC is offering up 2 beers on Nitro tap. Stop in to try their Double IPA (nitro) and their Irish Red (nitro). They've also tapped Engine 1 Pale Ale and have 9 other beers on tap. Stop in before the next snow hits! Don't forget - on Saturday from 12pm to 2pm the Colorado Craft Beer Show will be doing their radio show LIVE from ABC. Listen in at AM 760 Denver.

Hops & Pie (Denver) - On Saturday, February 23rd it's the next edition of the Littlest Big Beer Fest at Hops & Pie. This month featuring the beers of Firestone Walker. You can get flights and single pours starting at noon including: FW Anniversayr XVI, Walker's Reserve, Sucaba (Barley Wine), Hop Yard IPA, Valvet Merlin Oatmeal Stout and a firkin of Union Jack American IPA. The beers will be pouring all day while they last. Visit them at 3920 Tennyson Street in Denver, CO.

Denver Beer Company (Denver) - Tonight, Denver Off The Wagon will be debuting their Dubbel Entendre beer this afternoon at 4:30pm til 12am as part of their 2nd birthday celebration. This is a rich amber/copper colored beer with dark fruits in the aroma and a balanced malty body. It'll remind you of a brew a Belgian monk would make. In case you were still wondering, Saturday's Beer, Bacon & Coffee Fest at Denver Beer Co is now SOLD OUT! Hope you nabbed a ticket.

De Steeg Brewing (Denver) - Today they are tapping their new Winter Warmer, a big 9.7% ABV brew that's slightly sweet and with a touch of heat. Offered on both CO2 and Nitro taps. Open from 4-10pm tonight.

Boulder County

Avery Brewing (Boulder) - While they still aren't yet building at their new facility, Avery keeps expanding. The brewery reported the unloading of a big brand new fermenter off the truck today. More beer will be made in their real soon!

Oskar Blues (Longmont) - The folks over at Oskar Blues just put out a great new 3-minute video on the benefits of craft beer in a can. Check it out here below or on YouTube.

Northern Colorado

Big Beaver Brewing (Loveland) - The Blend of the Week is called Potent Pooch - a mix of Potent Peter IPA and Screw the Pooch Pale Ale. Today is also another edition of Free Beer Friday. Today's free 1/6th barrel is Bust-A-Nut Brown Ale. Free pints start pouring at 2pm for a half hour, then again at 3pm for another half hour, etc until it's gone. Big Beaver also recently purchased a new PA system and will be used for their Beaver Bluegrass Jams on Fridays starting around 8:30pm(ish). The Vise Squad (Fly Tying group) will be meeting on Tuesday, February 26th at 6pm - bring your vise or just visit if you just want to learn.

Verboten Brewing (Loveland) - New tastes coming to the taps at Verboten. Their Lemongrass Wit is back on tap today and their Blueberry Wheat is coming next week. That plus several other great regular brews. They are open from 3pm to 9pm today and 1pm - 9pm Saturday and 1pm - 7pm on Sunday.

The Mayor of Old Town (Ft. Collins) - Today between 3pm and 5pm it's their weekly F.A.C. You'll get to eat free pizza while you enjoy a beer. Colleen Glynn will be playing live music as well. Start your weekend off right!

Grimm Brothers Brewhouse (Loveland) - Today Grimm Bros are tapping a special firkin of Spruce Master Thief at noon. The aroma will remind you of a walk through the trees. Get one and grab some grub from Chaulkboard Gourmet Express.

Crabtree Brewing (Greeley) - It's back! Eclipse - Belgo-style Black IPA - now on tap at Crabtree. They also have their Rebel Rye IPA and Serenity Amber Ale on tap as well. 8+ beers on tap tonight. Plus, if you're in need of some dinner tonight - the Orange Crunch truck will be on site at 4:30pm serving up some of the tastiest Philippine-style empanadas around.

Black Bottle Brewery (Ft. Collins) - Tonight at 8pm it's "Kill The Keg" night. For $10 you'll get a cup and can drink as much of the special Left Hand Brewery's Polestar Pilsner as you wish until the keg is killed. If pilsner isn't your thing, try one of several Black Bottle brews on tap. Live music will also be playing from Justin Lubbe. Free high fives available from the staff!

Pateros Creek Brewing (Ft. Collins) - Today is CSU Appreciation Day. Calebrate the Rams with $1 off pints all day for all current students and faculty - just bring in your CSU ID and prove you're 21+.

High Hops Brewery (Windsor) - Don't forget - today is the release of their new Windor's Wee Heavy brew. Live music from Ash Ganley at 6:00pm and food from Bedrock BBQ will be on site.

Southern Front Range

Trinity Brewing (Colorado Springs) - Coming up in a week on Saturday March 2nd at 11am - it's Trinity's First Saturday Firkin. Get $3 pints til it's gone. Then coming up on March 16th at 5pm they'll be tapping their Wee Banshee Irish Heather Ale release and celebrating with a St. Patty's Day party.

Bristol Brewing (Colorado Springs) - Saturday, February 23rd is the 9th Annual Firkin Rendezvous at Bristol. Tix still available $50 VIP or $35 General. Event starts at 1pm for VIP and 2pm for General admission. 25 breweries will be bringing some of their best firkin beers to sample.

Mountains and West

Telluride Brewing Co (Telluride) - Telluride Brewing has gone NASCAR! Look for the Telluride Brewing logo to be featured on the number 23 car driven by Robert Richardson Jr at the 32nd Annual DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway tomorrow, February 23rd. Telluride was offered a free (pro bono) sponsorship and they jumped at the chance! The taproom at Telluride Brewing will be featuring the race on their TV. Who says craft beer and car racing don't go together?

Elevation Beer Co (Poncha Springs) - For a limited time, you can get Elevation Beer Company's beers out of state via The Rare Beer Club. This offer won't last long, so tell your out of state friend about it. Beers include: Senorita Imperial Porter, Oil Man Imperial Stout, and Apis IV Quad. Details at www.beermonthclub.com. Sorry, their Signal de Botrange is already sold out.

Bars, Restaurants and Misc.

National Homebrew Competition - The American Homebrewers Association reminds you that registration for the National Homebrew Competition opens next week. The rules have changed slightly this year so read up. Registration opens on Tuesday, February 26th at 1pm MST. More info on the AHA website.

Live Music - Beer and music go great together and many Colorado breweries and watering holes offer live entertainment every day. Check out the Colorado Brewery Music Listings and find who's playing at your favorite brewery or beer bar. Updated daily.

Like us on Facebook - There's even more Colorado beer happenings and discussions on the Fermentedly Challenged Facebook Page. Find recaps, special offers, and tips that you won't find on the blog. "Like" us and get even more soon after it happens. Thanks for helping us grow to over 1400+ "Likes" in 2013!

Colorado Beer News is published daily (Monday through Friday) with craft beer stories as they break from newsletters, emails and social media sites. Stop back here often for all the latest. This news is intended for audiences of legal drinking age (21+). If you'd like to subscribe to this daily by email, sign-up here. Please, always drink responsibly and use a designated driver.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

The Fort Collins Brewery (FCB) is putting up a new focus on sales and marketing this year and the brewery is planning to change several things around. In addition to a recently announced brewhouse expansion (equipment), FCB will be discontinuing their Incredible Hop (IHop) series of beers and debuting the new Hoptitude Imperial Extra Pale Ale this Spring in a 12oz 4-pack. And one of the other things getting a revamp is their Tap Club Membership.

The Tap Club Membership has been around since they opened in 2002, but now a new focus on rewarding members for repeat purchases with points good for merchandise, awards, beer and even being a brewer for a day. The Tap Club Membership will now be an annual renewable membership that starts on March 1st and runs until the next March 1st. There will be an annual $35 membership fee (although existing Tap Club members will get the 2013 fee waived). In exchange for the new membership fee, there will be increased rewards. The old lifetime membership plan is being done away with.

New members (and returning members) get a Tap Club Membership t-shirt, an amber Tap Club growler and an FCB growler fill of your choice.

Members will earn points for purchases at either the FCB taproom or at Gravity 1020 Modern Tavern. Members get 35 free points at sign-up and renewal. Then, 1 point for each dollar spent (excluding tax, tip and gift card purchases). Members get a 50 cent discount on all FCB pints for the entire year, plus special double points on growler fills.
In addition, members get these extra benefits: A free gift for your birthday, Drink from their exclusive Tap Club stein, Invitations to exclusive Tap Club events throughout the year, Email newsletters about upcoming releases and events, Plus a membership renewal gift every year you renew your membership.

Members unused points will roll over at the time of renewal. If you choose not to renew, unused points will be forfeited. Points will only be rewarded to the person paying the bill. No points will be awarded to special event purchases or private party bookings. Must show your Tap Club card or have a proper I.D. to redeem rewards. Membership cards are not transferable. Must be 21+.

New release upcoming: FCB's Maibock will be released on March 1st in the taproom. This beer will be available in both 22oz bombers and on draft. Look for these bottles to be in stores no later than mid-March.